Because you still want to learn, but can’t always get there.

Budapest: A Recipe (Goulash)

I could not visit Budapest without trying the Goulash. This site explains something that is true of every single national dish out there: every region, family, restaurant and person has their own version of this recipe. They each call them authentic and they each think it’s the best. You include items you like, and discard items you don’t like.

Click here to get more on the history of Goulash and variations. I also love this blog’s recent Budapest trip post. She not only includes great images of the city, she provides a traditional recipe for goulash! I’m cooking the recipe (after the jump) right now and it smells.so.good. WHY DIDN’T ANYONE EVER TELL ME HOW GREAT HUNGARIAN PAPRIKA WAS?

I used a bit of the above, but mostly relied on the recipe I found at Food By Country. With the csipetke recipe from this site. My notes are in red.

Gulyás (Hungarian Goulash)

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1½ pounds beef (round steak or boneless chuck), cut into 1-inch cubes

2 onions, coarsely chopped I only used one onion

3 cloves garlic, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried garlic

2 cups water Used less water, more broth

2 cups beef broth, homemade or canned

1 cup canned stewed tomatoes

2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika

2 bay leaves

2 potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes Used three

2 carrots, cut into ½-inch slices Used baby carrots that I had leftover, don’t think I used two.

Add potatoes, carrots, green peppers, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes more or until vegetables are tender.

Before serving, remove bay leaves and discard.

Serves 6 to 8.

For csipetke (Pinched noodles added to goulash or bean soup in Hungary. Csipetke comes from the word csípni, meaning pinch in English, referring to the way of making this noodle):

1 small egg,

flour,

a pinch of salt,

cc. 1 teaspoon water

Goulash is hearty enough without csipetke, especially if you eat it with bread, so you can leave csipetke out.

Instructions

Bring the soup to the boil and add the csipetke dough, it needs about 5 minutes to get cooked.

How to make the csipetke: beat up a small egg, add a pinch of salt and as much flour as you need to knead a stiff dough (you can add some water if necessary).

Flatten the dough between your palms (to about 1 cm thick) and pinch small, bean-sized pieces from it and add them to the boiling soup. They need about 5 minutes to get cooked.

If you would like to be a TFH Food Challenge Member (where I send you a different recipe every other week for the new destination of focus and we all cook and blog about it together), visit the new page I set up here.

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Every Monday we travel to a new destination by using stories, videos and photos to guide the way. We'll learn a little about the culture, history, food and idiosyncrasies that make a place special. All from home! Please join the journey and the fun!